Toasty

March 15, 2021
Preschool-Grade 1 Toasty wants to be a dog, to bark and play and run amok. Unfortunately, being "made of bread," Toasty was a piece of toast. Still, that doesn't stop him from walking on all fours (though he can only see the ground), chasing cats (though they end up chasing him), and rolling in puddles (which just leaves him soggy). Toasty can bark, however, and when he finally braves the dog park--and ends up hiding on top of a sandwich in order to escape being chased down--it's the only thing that saves him from being eaten by a girl. As it turns out, she's allergic to dogs, though she dearly wants one, and when little Toasty barks up at her, they become inseparable. Readers will be equally enamored, as Toasty joins the ranks of the picture-book world's most endearing characters--think Jean Reidy and Lucy Ruth Cummins' Truman (2019), Marianna Coppo's Ray (2020)--with his bread-loaf shape and toasted brown coloring wonderfully conjuring doggy-ness, and his tiny facial features on a wide-bread body the perfect recipe for cuteness. Sweet enough to eat!

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Starred review from April 1, 2021

K-Gr 2-What bliss! Working with what he has or what he is, a piece of toast who wants to be a dog finds a new owner who would be allergic to the real thing. It's all but impossible to explain how Hwang's matter-of-fact telling and simple scenes like watercolor daydreams support Toasty's aspirations, but here it is: "Toasty knew there were some differences. Most dogs have four legs. But Toasty had two legs and two arms. Some dogs sleep in dog houses. But Toasty slept in a toaster." All of this will have children cheering. Of course, this is the way the world works. Of course, when Toasty is chased by real dogs, he hides on a sandwich, where his about-to-be owner finds him. Her allergy-induced sneeze sends the real dogs running, she and Toasty quickly recognize how kindred they are, and there's the happy ending! With deadpan storytelling and a nonexistent moral, somehow it all makes sense. VERDICT Toasty's tale is as uplifting as they come, and if Toasty wants to be a dog, we say to readers, "Stay!"-Kimberly Olson Fakih, School Library Journal

Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2021
Even toast can dream. Toasty is a piece of bread. But he desperately longs to be a dog. He sees them running outside his window, fur flying in the breeze, catching Frisbees without a care in the world. If only he could do that too! However, he is practical. He knows that toast is different from dogs. (Besides the obvious difference of dogs sleeping in doghouses and Toasty sleeping in a toaster, he is also, well, made of bread.) Undeterred, he buckles a collar around his middle, slips out via the mail slot, and tries to play ball with the dogs. But instead of chasing the ball, they end up chasing him. Though he runs as fast as his stubby legs can carry him, Toasty is almost...toast. But his quick wits save him. He jumps onto a picnic blanket and camouflages himself as a sandwich. The dogs are confused. However, now a girl (depicted with pale skin and straight, dark hair) is about to take a bite of him! He woofs loudly. Unfazed by barking toast, the girl is thrilled. She has always wanted a dog but is allergic. A barking piece of bread is her perfect pet! Incredibly absurd but delightfully so, Hwang's paintings play up the goofiness of the premise, equipping Toasty with itty-bitty stick legs and arms and a surprisingly convincing canine countenance. The neckless Toasty on all fours is particular funny. Readers will root for this doughy hero. (Picture book. 3-6)

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